CHENOPODIACEAE

n/a

Perennial shrub to 1.5 m high. Branches rigid and often ending in a spine. Leaves oblong and greenish or mealy white. Fruit a deep red berry. Flowers from September to February.

Common on a wide range of soils, often on loams, clay loams, and heavy clays. Prefers medium-textured, alkaline soils. Prefers from 300 to 500 mm rainfall in the Riverina region. Drought and saline tolerant.

Collect seed in late summer. Seeds germinate readily, but propagation from seed is difficult as seed is not produced in great quantities. Soak fruit to soften and remove fleshy berry. Sow just under the soil surface.

Due to drought and saline tolerance it is useful for colonising saline scalds. Excellent low-level shelter. Fruit and seed eaten by birds and reptiles. An attractive long-living ground cover for gardens. Provides good forage during drought periods.